


when the party's over

by strawberryfire



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Billy Hargrove Being Less of an Asshole, Cheating, M/M, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, but not really, idk - Freeform, idk what to tag this, legit when will i not hint at elmax in my harringrove fics, nancy wheeler is a bitch, probs never, the party members are older
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 08:36:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21389242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryfire/pseuds/strawberryfire
Summary: Billy and Steve go to Wheeler's stupid party then Billy ends up making out with someone who isn't Steve. Robin "relationship counselor" Buckely steps in.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley/Heather Holloway
Comments: 1
Kudos: 105





	when the party's over

**Author's Note:**

> posted this on my tumblr first lol but i like it so imma post it here too

** _quiet when you’re coming home and i’m on my own_ **

_ “I haven’t stopped crying since Thursday. It’s pathetic.” _

** _\------_ **

** _Modern!canon, college!au, the party members are older (high school), _ **

** _Tw: underage drinking, underage smoking weed (is that a thing idk)_ **

_ Thursday night, the Wheeler’s  _

Billy wasn’t sure at first what, or who, had started it. He was too intoxicated on something or other to even form a cohesive thought. 

It was a fucking  _ party _ , you’re  _ supposed _ to get drunk, get high. 

It was Mike’s party and Steve was only going to look out for the cops and Mrs. Wheeler. He was going to be the designated driver for the night, since he had stopped drinking after two beers. Surprisingly, the little devil knew how to throw a kickass party. Music,  _ good _ fucking music, was beating in the floorboards with White Claws and Jack Daniels on every surface possible. 

Somewhere around 10:30, maybe even 11:00, when Billy ended up dancing along to some Tyler the Creator song in the arms of someone who wasn’t Steve. Billy was certain he had hit the joint given to him for way too long. He didn’t care that he was floating on the clouds until he was kissing someone that sure as  _ hell _ didn’t taste like Steve. Whoever it was tasted like strawberry lipgloss and had some fancy Gucci smell on their shirt. Billy felt like a million pounds, unable to push himself away and maybe, yeah just maybe, he was enjoying it, just a little bit. 

He  _ loves _ seeing his Steve get jealous. The way his ears turn scarlet, his doe eyes filling with fire. 

In Billy’s hazy state, he looks up from the girl who was getting all over him and tries to find Steve’s angry eyes.

And he does.

But, it’s not anger. His ears aren’t bright red, his teeth aren’t gritted together. Steve is looking at Billy with such complete and  _ utter _ heartbreak.

Because it wasn’t just any girl, boy, it wasn’t just a nobody that had no significance in their lives. 

This was  _ Nancy fucking Wheeler, _ kissing Billy, dancing with Billy, sharing a joint with him. Acting like Billy was hers, all for Steve to see. And once Billy got a view of her face, the fucking smirk on her lips, he knew she was doing this on  _ purpose _ . 

“What the fuck is  _ wrong _ with you?” Billy mutters, but it’s too quiet and probably just sounded like gibberish to her.

Someone else pulls her away after what was apparently a good 30 minute ordeal. Billy later learns it’s Heather. God bless that woman. He buys her a coffee later as a thank you.

Steve stays put for a few minutes, then he walks outside. Dustin and Robin, who had been hiding in the corner, follow him after giving Billy a  _ Neil-level  _ death glare. 

Max, also stoned out of her mind, even looks disappointed. 

Billy leans against the wall of the semi-empty kitchen and just stands there, his brain not processing  _ anything _ .

Lucas stands beside him, “You’re an idiot of the highest fucking order.” 

Billy nods, not really sure what Lucas means.

Will hands Billy a glass of water, “How much have you had to drink? Or smoke?”   
  
He takes the solo cup and downs it like it’s a shot, “Too fuckin’ much.” Billy mumbles. 

Will looks over Billy’s shoulder at Dustin, who gives him a nod.

“I can get you home.”

“No, no...S..Steve s’gonna get me.”

“He’s already left.” 

Billy’s brain  _ still _ isn’t telling him what’s going on, so he just waves the two boys off, “M’gonna...gonna get ‘nother drink.”

He hears Will sigh like some concerned mom, “Great. Now we have to worry about both Hargroves.” He sounded like Joyce, Billy later thinks.

Billy drinks and drinks until he’s had so many White Claws he never wants to taste limes again. 

Steve sits alone in his too big house that normally felt a little bit better with Billy filling in that space with his laugh and his California sun speak. There’s such a sour taste in Steve’s mouth that’s boiling on the edge of the kind of angry that makes you want to punch a wall.

Robin, however, is the only thing keeping him from doing as such. She’s sat beside him in his bed, a mix of emotions on her face. 

“He’s a fucking idiot, Steve.” She says with a huff, “Just...just fucking brain dead!”

Steve lays there, messing with the circle pendant around his neck. There’s a heart engraved on the front, with B.H and the Scorpio star constellation on the back. 

“I know.” He whispers.

“This is the fifth time this has happened.”

“He does it to make me jealous. It’s...it’s just a weird thing he likes. It never means anything, because it’s normally just nobodies.”

“You tellin’ me he gets off to you getting angry?”

“Yeah.”

She shrugs, “Could have guessed that.”

“But this...this is different. It was Nancy.”

“Fuck her bitchass.”

Steve doesn’t reply, too emotionally overwhelmed to really know what to say. 

“Thanks for taking me home.” He says after the silence.

“Sure thing, dingus.”

Her phone goes off with a text from Heather.

“Billy’s passed out on the couch with Max also passed out next to him. She’s asking if she should take them to Hop’s, Ellie is offering.”

“Don’t really give a shit.”

“Aight.”

Robin leaves at around 3:30 in the morning. Steve doesn’t sleep. He gets a call from Jonathan, but ignores it. Call from Dustin. He ignores it. 

Snapchat from Billy. 20 texts. 4 missed calls. 

Steve ignores it all. 

_ Friday morning, Hoppers cabin  _

The sun coming in through the window was like poison. Billy rubs his eyes, trying to remember something, trying to figure out where he was. His head was pounding so hard he wanted to puke, but was too tired to even lift his head. 

The smell of eggos in a toaster come from outside the door and it finally clicks that he’s at Hop’s. 

Billy reaches for his phone, the sudden dizzying anxiety filling his lungs that he wasn’t beside Steve. 

His 20 texts, snapchats and calls have been left unanswered. 

The door creaks open and Max walks in, sitting beside him. 

“What time is it?” Billy mumbles.

“10:15.” 

“What happened?”

“I don’t think you wanna know.” Max answers honestly, handing him some orange juice. “Drink it. There’s turmeric in it too.”

He reluctantly drinks the nasty mix but he knows it’ll help, “Thanks. Where’s Steve?”

“At his house. You’re at Hop’s with El and I. Heather took us here.”

“Us?”

“Yeah, I was so stoned I couldn’t move. I mean, I’m in deep shit too. Apparently I confessed my love to Ellie and she hasn’t spoken a word to me this morning. I wanna kill myself.”

“You’ll live kid. What about me?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes, Maxine. I’m not with my boyfriend and he won’t answer me.”

“You shared a joint, danced with, and made out with Nancy Wheeler.” 

Billy nearly chokes on air and groans at the pain it leaves in his head, “I did  _ what _ now?”

“Well, she made the move on you, you went along with it.” 

Billy doesn’t say anything. 

“Steve just kinda…left. Robin took him home. Talked with him, I think. Don’t know what was said.” 

He puts his face down in the pillow, “I wanna kill myself.”

“You’ll live, kid.” Max mocks him before getting up and leaving the room. 

Billy doesn’t move until El comes in at 1:30 with a bowl of pho and a mug of tea,  _ insisting _ he got up and ate. 

_ Alpha Soda Diner, Friday afternoon  _

“You haven’t responded to him, right?” Robin asks as she sits with Steve at the diner. 

He’s picking at his burger and fries, “No. But I want to. I miss him.”

“Steve. He did all that shit willingly.”

“He was drunk!” Steve half yells. 

“Okay, calm down. I  _ know _ he was drunk but that doesn’t matter. He still did it. You don’t pull that kinda shit when  _ you’re _ drunk.”

“I love him, Robin.”

“You deserve better.”

“You’re acting like he’s still the Billy he was in high school.”

Robin rolls her eyes, “You obviously knew him differently than I did.”

Steve sips his milkshake and doesn’t say anything, because he knows deep down that Billy  _ has _ changed, he  _ really _ has, but Billy is stupid sometimes. That’s what Steve loves about him though. 

This was Nancy Wheeler. Nancy fucking Wheeler, who had shattered his heart and ruined his life. In all honesty, Steve was grateful for her because his broken heart was led to Billy, who was even more broken than Steve was. 

“I love him.” Steve repeats. “I do. I’m mad at him, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to be.”

“Then that’s the part of you that loves him the most. Give it a few days, he’ll find the words to say.”

“He’s gonna do something stupid, Robs.”

“Ugh, just say you can’t live without him and move on.”

“You’re the same way with Heather.”

“I’ll suplex you.”

Steve laughs a little, “That’s a new insult.” 

“Seriously, Steve. Maybe you both just need some space. That’s the key to keeping this relationship healthy is space.”

“But..” Steve begins to protest but Robin cuts him off, “Go play D&D with the kids. Maybe text Tommy, see what he’s up to. Go do something that doesn’t involve Billy for once. Not saying you guys are, like, badly attached to each other, you just never do things by yourself anymore. Hell, go to the Food Lion and get yourself some ice cream, cry about it, watch that new Christmas movie with Emilia Clarke. Ya hear me?”

Steve lets out a pensive sigh and looks down at his phone as it lights up with a text from Billy.

** _Hey bambi. Please call me when you get a chance, I want to talk this out. Xx_ **

“And don’t. Respond. To. His. Texts.”

“He wants to talk…” Steve pouts, tears welling up behind his eyes.

“Tough shit.”

Steve ends up doing what Robin says, because she has never  _ ever _ been wrong before when it came to rough patches in his relationship with Billy. Steve has always said she needed to be a marriage counselor or something. 

He goes to the Food Lion, buys two pints of Ben & Jerry’s half baked ice cream. Goes home, watches Die Hard, one of Billy’s least favorite movies. Half way through he calls Tommy. They talk for two hours about their lives. Steve doesn’t mention the party and just tells Tommy they’re doing great. Apparently, he’s planning on proposing to Carol and wants Steve to be the best man. He’s so flattered he cries a little. Mike, Will, Dustin and Lucas come over with Talisman and they play until the sun sets. They’re having too much fun to talk about the party, but Steve can tell Will is worried, as he always is. Dustin is pissed and probably wishing Billy was here so he could punch him.

As Steve lays his head down to sleep that night, everything that he was pushing down was coming back up.

Billy’s name pops up on his phone, which had been on do not disturb for most of the day.

** _Please, bambi...I love you, please call me. Just read these, I need to know you’re okay. _ **

** _I’m so disgusted with myself, Steve. I can’t lose you._ **

** _I'm gonna lose you aren't I?_ **

The screen is too blurry from the tears streaming down his face to read whatever else Billy says. 

Steve instead texts Robin.

_ Just wanted to thank you for your advice. Tommy wants me to be his best man at his wedding. The boys came over and played Talisman. I watched Die Hard. It hurts still. Can’t stop crying, since he’s not beside me, but still. Thank you. _

He shuts his phone off and cries until he’s drifting off in his cold empty bed. 

_ Saturday morning, the Hargrove’s _

It was quiet as Billy lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. The hangover was still clinging on in the form of a migraine that left him throwing up every hour. 

Max had been helping, bringing him club soda and saltines, heating up this cute puppy Steve gave him every so often. 

She comes to give him more Advil, but this time she stays.

“What do you want, shitbird.” He mumbles.

“Just...wanna sit with you.” She whispers, making sure to not talk too loud.

Billy sighs, “You can, I’m sorry.”

For the first time in a long time, Max lays beside Billy and puts her head on his chest. 

“You doin’ okay…?” He asks.

She nods, “Are  _ you _ ?”

“I...I guess. I’m so fucking worried about Steve.”

“The boys went over last night, they played Talisman with him. Said Stevie was fine.”

“Fine..?”

“Like he was laughing, didn’t seem upset.”

Billy sucks in a sharp breath like he just got punched in the gut.

“Dustin mentioned two empty pints of Ben and Jerry’s though.”

“He’s happy without me.”

“Billy, c’mon. You know better than anyone how good he is at hiding his emotions.”

“Yeah..”

“Robin always says space is good. Space gives you time to think, time to really get everything together.”

“I can’t be away from him, Max. Can’t sleep or think. He keeps me sane.”

She shakily sighs, “I’m not really one to talk.”

“Whatcha mean?”

“I’m the same way with Ellie...it’s tragic.”

Billy laughs a little, “Oh, to be a teenager in love.”

Max laughs too.

_ Saturday afternoon, the Harrington’s _

Steve has given up. 

He can’t stand being away from Billy any longer and he’s decided he’s done enough thinking.

Steve stares at Billy’s number.

He calls and Billy instantly answers.

“ _ Bambi _ .”

“Hi, Malibu. Why you whispering?’’

“Oh, Max is asleep…bambi, listen, I know sorry won’t-”

Steve breaks in, “Y’know, I’ve been crying since Thursday, it’s pathetic. But I’ve had my space, done my fair share of thinking. I love you and I forgive you. You were drunk and high,  _ God _ , you were so high it was  _ funny _ . Nancy wasn’t, it is completely her fault. I’m not mad in any way, you hear me?”

He hears Billy huff out a laugh, “How did I get you, pretty boy?’’

“I dunno, Malibu barbie. Can I come over? We can order pizza.”

“If you don’t mind Max bein’ in between.”

“Not at all, babe.’’

“And, hey, I love you too.”

Steve grins and makes his way over to Billy’s. Steve ends up laying in bed with Billy, Max knocked out in between them.

“Now I really am a dad.” Steve whispers against Billy’s forehead. 

He kisses his doe eyed baby, “You’re too much, Stevie.

  
  
  



End file.
